We’re so happy to have Kathleen Lawless with us. Fun, fun!
In the late 1850’s the idea that a Bostonian could one day buy a train ticket to California and be there in less than a week was hard to imagine. Railroads connected thriving Eastern cities like New York and Philadelphia, with people and freight to move. The West was 2,000 miles of mostly wilderness plagued by the physical challenges of deserts, and mountain ranges with snowy passes and steep river canyons.
Luckily, visionaries and entrepreneurs saw the potential, knowing that if the area became accessible, settlers would follow. It didn’t happen overnight, but in January, 1893, the last spike of the Great Northern Railway was in place. 40,000 miles of track had been added to the Western railroads in the 1880’s.
This final settling of the West provided great fodder for my writer’s imagination, fueled by my visit to several magnificent mountainside hotels built in the late nineteenth century along the various rail lines in Canada and the US. It was hard not to be awed by their splendor and majestic bearing, looking perfectly at home amidst the breathtaking scenery. I was particularly enamored by the ones that looked like something out of my childhood fairytales, inspired by Swiss Chalets and nestled into the mountains.
Major railways created these magnificent buildings as a way to entice wealthy passengers to travel across the continent. Since their passengers expected and could afford nothing but the best, the rail lines provided it; from opulent parlors, sleeping cars, and fine dining, to ostentatious accommodation along the way.
Before long, the middle class also began to travel. Hoteliers were quick to offer more modest accommodation at lower prices. As more and more people started to travel, railways traveling through the mountains found building dining spots to feed their passengers more economical than pulling a dining car up the steep terrain. When it became obvious many passengers would happily stay and explore the area, these early locations also grew into railway hotels, with entire towns springing up around them.
Thus, Silver Springs Junction was born, complete with a cagey entrepreneurial grandfather who built his dream hotel in the mountains and willed the town around it into existence. Having raised his four orphaned granddaughters, the old boy is eager to see them married off. The problem is the sisters themselves, strong-willed, modern and independent women, not terribly interested in marriage or a traditional life. What’s a well-meaning grandfather to do?
The Gambler, Book 1 of The Spinster Takes a Groom is available for preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPMCJVZB?tag=pettpist-20
with a release date of March 12th.
Readers first met the four sisters at the end of Lila, from the Rescue Me, Mail Order Brides. Add your comments below because one lucky reader will win a copy of Lila.
Thanks for stopping by. If I piqued your interest in my writing, please feel free to download Kissing a Cowboy, a chapter sampler of pretty anything cowboy I’ve ever written. Heat levels of my books can vary from sweet to spicy, but the sampler makes it clear which is which.
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USA Today Bestselling Author Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her many alpha male heroes.
With over 50 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction.
She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and loves to hear from her readers. http://www.kathleenlawless.com
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One of the many reasons I find the Wild West fun to write about is the opportunity afforded women during the time. With a ten-men-to-every-woman ratio in many of the territories, women were more concerned about suitability than availability. As someone who lives on an island where there are eight single women to every available man, I prefer those odds of 150 years ago.
Since Lila is part of the Rescue Me Mail-Order Brides, I had to create a strong Alpha male character to rescue my heroine from imminent danger. I liked the idea of a Bounty Hunter, a man who makes his own rules and is his own boss, but that lifestyle meant a hero who is always on the move. Not exactly a happily-ever-after prospect for our bride.
The station’s platform was bustling with activity as folks called out, pushing and shoving in all directions. Once again, she rued her short stature. For it was impossible to see over the heads of those around her.